10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Series, Principle 9- Movement - Feel the Difference
The vicious cycle of dieting usually includes exercise. Dieting often can come with overexercising and pushing ourselves to break at least an hour either running or doing cardio, hoping we see a considerable number on the treadmill counter. But this is not the original purpose of exercise; this is what diet culture has morphed exercise into being. In this post, we will discuss how to reintegrate movement into our lives without any connection to weight loss.
10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Series, Principle 8: Respect Your Body
Respecting our bodies, especially when they do not fit into what society would deem acceptable, can be hard. This can start by accepting what our genetic blueprints look like. Our genetic blueprints include height, eye color, foot size, and weight. Think of it like this; if your shoe size is a 7, you will not try to fit your foot into a size 5, right? How would that feel? Tight, uncomfortable, your toes would feel pinched and rubbing against the walls of the shoe. If you would not do that to your foot, why are we taught to do that same thing to our bodies? While saying all of this, it is good to note that we will be unlearning body comparison and seeing our bodies negatively.
Introducing Me! Stephanie
My name is Stephanie Marceron, and I wanted to take this opportunity to talk more about myself and my background. I have been attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, since the fall of 2021, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communication Studies. I am a senior about to enter my last semester and will graduate in December. I want to start a career in either public relations or marketing in the cosmetics/skincare industry.
10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Series, Principle 5: Discover the Satisfaction Factor
What does “Discover the Satisfaction Factor” mean to you? For me, the satisfaction factor is when I take my first bite of a dinner I just finished prepping for the week, and I can taste the different sauces I marinated my protein of choice in. Savoring the spices put in gives me a feeling of satisfaction in my meal. Figuring out what the satisfaction factor is for you can be a process depending on what your relationship with food used to be and is in your current status in the intuitive eating journey.
10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Series, Principle 4: Challenging the Food Police
As we have grown up, we have been taught that we have a symbolic angel on one side of the shoulder and a little devil on the other. But what if I told you that there was a third entity that we need to worry about? In the form of voices in our head that tear us down whenever food or eating is in question? These voices are called the Food Police. The Food Police also comes with a few other voices that do not help us on our journey through Intuitive Eating, and we will go more in-depth on these voices later in the post. These extras are the Nutrition Informant and the Diet Rebel.
10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Series, Principle 3- Make Peace With Food
Making peace with food can be a tall order for those recovering from an eating disorder. This part of intuitive eating can be challenging for anyone who participates in dieting and diet culture. Each principle in Intuitive Eating is not a small step but the whole staircase. Making peace with food is about ending the ongoing battle and calling for a truce. What may be hard for us to grasp is having unconditional permission to eat. Coming from a dieting background, hearing the phrase that you have UNCONDITIONAL permission to eat can be intimidating, even scary.
Repairing Your Relationship with Forced Food from Childhood
Constructing a healthy eating relationship with the food you once scorned as a child is vital in Intuitive Eating. Honoring your fullness can come from the experience of eating a portion of food that fulfills your sensation of fullness, but that does not mean you overeat.
What Is Intuitive Eating and Is It For Me?
Intuitive Eating is an intuitive eating practice focused on helping you find your exit ramp from diet culture and cultivate a better relationship with food and with your body. The approach builds on the wisdom of Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole (both experienced dietitians) who wrote the book called Intuitive Eating. This process is an avenue to regain the healthy relationship with food we all had as children. This process of reconnection is a slow one, and that is intentional. It is necessary to go at your own pace, this isn’t a “program” to complete. Unlearning diet culture will take some patience, there is no rush.